RECORD BALLOT IN CLACTON

Nigel Farage campaigning in Clacton during the 2024 general election

The main parties may be absent from the Clacton ballot paper, but there will be plenty of candidates for voters to choose from in the August 13 clown show.  In fact, this by-election will have the most crowded ballot paper in British electoral history - a staggering total of 34 candidates.  This eclipses the previous record of 26 candidates, which was set in the 2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election.  That by-election was triggered in similar fashion by Tory MP David Davis, who resigned his seat and went on to win the resulting by-election.

Nominations for Clacton closed on Friday and the long list of candidates includes no less than 21 independents and the highly unusual presence of multiple candidates from the Monster Raving Loony Party - three in fact.  This was in part due to the already comical nature of the by-election, plus there are a few electoral records at stake - it's never been done before and the party leader (Howling Laud Hope) will break the record set by his predecessor (Screaming Lord Sutch) for most by-elections contested.

There are eight small parties standing, some of which we have never heard of, such as Consensus and Everyone is God.  The most prominent among these is Laurence Fox, whose Reclaim Party is standing for the first time since the 2023 Uxbridge by-election.  Fox lost his deposit that night, in fact his party have lost their deposit in every election they have ever contested - which isn't many, as this will be only their fifth outing.

The farcical nature of this by-election is epitomised by the litany of clown candidates standing.  Three Monster Raving Loons aside, we've got candidates calling themselves Joseph 77, Woke Trump Carzee and, of course, the establishment hope Count Binface.  The left-wing comedian who dons the costume was one of the earliest candidates to declare his intention to stand, which led to a media frenzy around him designed to present him as a potential challenger to Farage.  Labour donor Dale Vince offered to fund Binface's campaign to the tune of £180,000, while Andy Burnham said Binface "is carrying the hopes of the nation".

They are all desperate to frame the contest as a straightforward head-to-head, in an attempt to mock Farage and possibly unseat him or in the very least inflict a close call that would be a huge embarrassment to the Reform leader.  Defeat against Clown Binface would be career-ending for Farage and it's not beyond the realms of possibility - more people voted for other parties in 2024 than voted for Reform - and Brits do love a novelty act.  However, with 32 other candidates now in the hat, that possibility is greatly diminished.  It would also be highly unlikely that thousands of Tory voters would back a left-wing clown dressed as a bin.  The Conservatives finished second here in 2024.

No constituency polling has been published as yet, but betting markets strongly favour Farage.  He is currently odds on across the board, with most bookies only offering odds on him and Binface.  It does look incredibly likely that 32 candidates will lose their deposits, which will present the treasury with a tidy sum £16,000.

The full list of candidates is as follows.

Joseph 77 (Ind)

Adham Alkhatip (Forward)

Count Binface (Ind)

Nick The Incredible Flying Brick (Loon)

Tony Cane (Ind)

Woke Trump Carrzee (Ind)

William Clouston (SDP)

Rees Cowne (Ind)

Glenn Cummings (Ind)

Martin Davies (Freedom Alliance)

Andy Erlam (Ind)

Nigel Farage (Reform)

Attieh Fard (Ind)

Laurence Fox (Reclaim)

Tony Francis (Ind)

Robin Green (Ind)

Abi Hookway (Ind)

Howling Laud Hope (Loon)

Stephen Ingram (Ind)

Amy Morris (Ind)

Derrick Morris (Ind)

Martyn O'Brien (Ind)

Michael O'Keeffe (Ind)

Nick Pelas (Ind)

Ketankumar Pipaliya (UK Voice)

Daniel Pocock (Ind)

James Ransley (Consensus)

Gerry Smith (Ind)

Kai Stephens (British Democrats)

John Stevens (Rejoin EU)

Baron Von Thunderclap (Loon)

Pamela Walford (Ind)

Marcus White (Everyone is God)

Marc Wilkinson (Ind)

Clacton 2024 general election result

Nigel Farage (Ref) 21,225 (46.2%) New

Giles Watling (Con) 12,820 (27.9%) -44.0%

Jovan Owusu-Nepaul (Lab) 7,448 (16.2%) +0.6%

Matthew Bensilum (LDm) 2,016 (4.4%) -1.8%

Natasha Osben (Grn) 1,935 (4.2%) +1.3%

Tony Mack (Ind) 317 (0.7%) New

Andrew Pemberton (UKIP) 116 (0.3%) New

Craig Jamieson (Clm) 48 (0.1%) New

Tasos Papanastasiou (Hrt) 33 (0.1%) New

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 16.07.26

We had a county-wide election this week, but it wasn't for the council.  The position of Police and Crime Commissioner in Norfolk was up for grabs...

Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner

Colin Sutton (Ref) 32,647 (26.7%) New

Matthew Taylor (Con) 18,348 (15.0%) -18.9%

Martin Schmierer (Grn) 16,907 (13.8%) -2.0%

Marcus Pearcey (Ind) 16,402 (13.4%) New

Beth Jones (Lab) 14,192 (11.6%) -23.6%

Mark Buckton (Res) 13,319 (10.9%) New

Christopher Brown (LDm) 10,499 (8.6%) -6.5%

Ref GAIN from Lab

Labour won this election in 2024, with a relatively narrow victory over the Conservatives.  This time the result wasn't even close and Labour crashed to fifth.  Police and Crime Commissioners are being abolished in two years time, with the responsibilities being transferred into the remit of elected mayors.  This announcement last year led to a backlash from Norfolk's PCC, who quit Labour in anguish, accusing the government of a 'lack of consultation'.  She continued in the role as an independent, before vacating the post last month due to a family illness.  She also left her role as a district councillor (see below).  There were a few new faces on the PCC ballot paper this time, all stumping up £500 for the privilege.  All four parties saved their deposits last time, as it proved this time around - every single candidate surpassed the required five per cent mark in order to get their deposit back.  This included Restore Britain, who were hoping for a decent result as Rupert Lowe's constituency falls entirely within the catchment area.  Any hopes they may have had of denting Reform's chances were not realised, as Reform won with an impressive majority of 14,299 (compared to Labour's 1,888 majority in 2024).  Reform's first ever PCC is highly respected former detective Colin Sutton, who led various high profile murder investigations during a long career.  This has been a costly election to the taxpayer, with a bill of £2million that on a 17.1 per cent turnout worked out at more than £16 per vote!

Karl - Con GAIN ✘
Rich - Ref GAIN ✔

There were also eight council seats to be decided this week, all of which fell inside England and all but one sit across a central belt from Staffordshire in the west to Norfolk in the east.  The only exception is a seat in the Rushmoor borough of Hampshire.

Dereham Toftwood, Breckland District Council

Con: 458 (45.8%) -1.7%

Ref: 369 (36.9%) New

Lab: 172 (17.2%) -35.3%

Con GAIN from Lab

Triggered by the resignation of the incumbent, who simultaneously vacated her post as Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner (see above).  This ward was a straight head-to-head last time between Labour and the Conservatives.  Reform had won all three of the previous council by-elections held in Breckland, but their Turkish candidate could not persuade enough voters in this semi-rural ward to swing it for her party.  She did however enjoy a huge swing from Labour that dumped the incumbent party in last place and delivered a Conservatives gain.

Karl - Ref GAIN ✘

Rich - Con GAIN ✔

Ramsey & Bury, Cambridgeshire County Council

Ref: 506 (29.7%) -17.3%

Ind: 417 (24.5%) New

Con: 412 (24.2%) -5.2%

LDm: 126 (7.4%) +0.6%

Grn: 123 (7.2%) +1.2%

Lab: 118 (6.9%) -4.0%

Ref HOLD

Reform gained this seat from the Conservatives in last year's local elections, but the winner recently stood down, citing 'personal circumstances'.  Last year's defeated Conservative sought to get her former seat back at this by-election, but slipped to third place.  She was narrowly beaten by an independent, who took a significant swing from Reform.  Labour finished third here last year, but collect the wooden spoon this time around.  No Burnham bounce here!

Karl - Con GAIN ✘

Rich - Ref HOLD ✔

Kidlington West, Cherwell District Council

LDm: 1,028 (58.8%) +13.7%

Ref: 331 (18.9%) -4.3%

Con: 232 (13.2%) -4.1%

Grn: 158 (9.0%) -5.4%

LDm HOLD

Triggered by the resignation of the Lib Dem incumbent, who gained this seat from the Conservatives in 2021.  She resigned for 'personal reasons', primarily to spend more time with her family.  The Lib Dems were very keen to hold here, as their coalition majority hung by a thread.  They did so with ease, garnering three times as many votes as second placed Reform, while their coalition partners the Greens picked up the wooden spoon.

Karl - LDm HOLD ✔

Rich - LDm HOLD ✔

Old Catton, Norfolk County Council

Con: 973 (34.6%) +8.5%

Grn: 921 (32.7%) +14.0%

Ref: 561 (19.9%) -10.1%

Lab: 147 (5.2%) -10.6%

LDm: 100 (3.6%) -5.6%

Res: 98 (3.5%) New

Loon: 13 (0.5%) New

Con GAIN from Ref

Triggered by the resignation of the incumbent less than four weeks after he was elected in May, citing 'poor health'.  Did he not expect to win?  A very poor show that left his colleague with what turned out to be an insurmountable task of holding the seat.  The former Conservative councillor selected by Reform was heavily defeated by her old party, while the Greens pushed her into third.  This was the first ever local election fought in the name of Restore Britain, but it was disastrous.  Their candidate pulled out shortly after the nomination papers were handed in, but it was too late to remove his name from the ballot paper.  It's not going well is it, Rupert?

Karl - Grn GAIN ✘

Rich - Con GAIN ✔

Fletton & Woodston, Peterborough City Council

Grn: 664 (41.2%) +3.4%

Ref: 479 (29.7%) +2.9%

Lab: 213 (13.2%) +3.7%

Con: 208 (12.9%) -3.2%

LDm: 37 (2.3%) New

YrP: 11 (0.7%) New

Grn GAIN from Lab

As often tends to be the case with the Banana Republic of Peterborough, this by-election was mired in controversy before a single vote had been cast.  Triggered by the resignation of a young native lady who was elected as a Labour councillor in the 2024 elections, she quit the party a year later after accusing her comrades of 'sustained bullying and marginalisation'.  Why was she targeted?  She simply called for CCTV to be installed in the city's taxis.  This led to her facing accusations of 'racism' from Muslim comrades, who also tarred her family with the same brush.  In resigning her seat recently, she accused the council of 'systemic cover-ups', which Labour's Muslim council leader denied.  As Peterborough wards go, this one is not overtly Muslim, but it did opt for the Greens in May.  An independent candidate who stood here in that election dropped out, while there was a rare outing for the Fruit and Nutters.  The Corbyn shitshow finished last with just 11 votes, while the party that stole their far left thunder roared into the lead and garnered more than three times the number of votes received by Labour.

Karl - Ref GAIN ✘

Rich - Grn GAIN ✔

Wellington, Rushmoor Borough Council

Lab: 408 (42.1%) +9.2%

Con: 199 (20.5%) -3.0%

Ref: 196 (20.2%) -7.5%

Grn: 118 (12.2%) New

LDm: 49 (5.1%) New

Lab HOLD

The retirement of the Labour incumbent triggered this contest.  He had served as a Rushmoor councillor on and off since 1976 and his successor scored an impressive hold for a party that is not used to expanding their vote share and moving further ahead of their rivals.  An independent candidate who stood here in May did not stand this time.  This area was historically a Conservative stronghold, but this all changed in 2024 when Labour took control of the council and won the local Aldershot Westminster constituency for the first time in history.  Labour lost outright control of the council following several defections last year, but they remain the largest party and run it as a minority administration.

Karl - Ref GAIN ✘

Rich - Ref GAIN ✘

Himley & Swindon, South Staffordshire District Council

Con: 298 (43.2%) -21.0%

Ref: 187 (27.1%) New

Ind: 129 (18.7%) New

Lab: 28 (4.1%) New

Grn: 22 (3.2%) New

Ind: 16 (2.3%) -12.0%

LDm: 10 (1.4%) -20.0%

Con HOLD

Triggered by the death of the 82-year-old Tory incumbent, who had been council leader as recently as 2024.  He was re-elected to this ward in 2023, having bested the only two other candidates - a Lib Dem and an independent.  It was a much more crowded ballot paper this time and the votes were dispersed very thinly in this sparsely populated ward on the edge of the Black Country.  The Conservatives managed to hold off Reform by more than 100 votes.

Karl - Con HOLD ✔

Rich - Ref GAIN ✘

Manor, Stafford Borough Council

Lab: 481 (36.2%) -19.6%

Ref: 414 (31.2%) New

Con: 237 (17.8%) -11.6%

Grn: 197 (14.8%) n/c

Lab HOLD

As with the previous seat, this was triggered by the death of the 82-year-old incumbent.  The longstanding councillor had been re-elected most recently in 2023, when she topped the poll with both ward seats up for grabs.  She and her Labour colleague easily saw off the Conservatives, while a solitary Green candidate collected the wooden spoon.  The Greens finished last again this time, while there was a significant swing from both Labour and the Conservatives to Reform.

Karl - Ref GAIN ✘

Rich - Ref GAIN ✘

Richey has extended his lead further, with Karl suffering another poor performance.  Karl has now dropped below the 50 per cent accuracy rate and at best can only close the gap next week as there are only five by-elections.

IT'S FOR THE BEST

The England football team's World Cup exit will have been painful for many, but perhaps none more so than our outgoing Prime Minister.  Starmer was banking on a tournament victory, so much so that he had already planned out his movements across a tight window that would allow him to fly into the States to attend the final, before flying straight back to the UK in order to leave office on Monday.  An England victory in the final would have allowed him to go out on a positive note - by declaring a bank holiday in celebration and, of course, trumpeting the team's diversity.  Number Ten had been festooned in the Cross of St George ahead of the semi-final.

Starmer was joined in his opportunistic enthusiasm for the England team by his good friend Sadiq Khan.  Khan posted multiple messages of support across his social media accounts ahead of Wednesday's game and, like Starmer, wore an England shirt for recent high profile events.  However, this passion was not derived from any sense of patriotic instinct.  These are Labour politicians remember - in normal circumstances they despise the sight of the Cross of St George and displays of national pride repulses them.

The establishment's desire for an England victory was all about multi-culturalism, mass immigration and furthering the Great Replacement.  The England World Cup squad was crammed with black and mixed race players, as were many Western European teams at this tournament.  The sight of so many non-white faces in teams like England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands showed the entire world that the demographic replacement of Europeans is no conspiracy theory.  And the establishment that has long sought to destroy our continent, its history, culture and people would have celebrated an England victory as a triumph for 'diversity'.

No person symbolises the 'Diversity Is Strength' mantra more than Khan, so it was no great surprise to see him embracing the team.  But diversity is not a strength, it is suicide.  Khan, Starmer and co would have declared it the most diverse England World Cup squad in history, but that simply translates as the most non-white England World Cup squad in history.  They would have weaponised the team's success against English people - and by that we mean English people, not people of African or mixed descent - furthering the immigration cause, hastening the demise of the native peoples of these islands and having us celebrate the fact.

Kebede is the general secretary of the National Education Union and a former partner of ex-Labour MP Laura Pidcock.  Unfortunately, for him, his multi-racial England team came unstuck against one of the least diverse teams in the tournament.  The overwhelming majority of the Argentine players are of European descent - including talisman Lionel Messi, who is of Italian and Spanish descent.

And let's not forget that the only major football tournament that England has ever won was achieved without a single black player.  That record still stands 60 years on, sorry Khan, Kebede and co!

TOON TUESDAY #111

Barring a miracle, Andy Burnham will be PM a week today, so no prizes for guessing what dominates this week's cartoons (again).  Somewhat disgracefully, not one mainstream cartoonist sought to address the assassination of Ann Widdecombe.

Ben Jennings for The Guardian

Matt Pritchett for The Sunday Telegraph

Stanley McMurtry for The Mail on Sunday

Ben Jennings for The Guardian

Patrick Blower for The Daily Telegraph

Pete Songi on X

Peter Brookes for The Times

Morten Morland for The Sunday Times

MEME MONDAY #91

Another week of poor distribution, we can only hope it is because everyone is outdoors enjoying this lovely weather!

Mon 6 Jul - 35 shares

Wed 8 Jul - 60 shares

Thu 9 Jul - 25 shares

Fri 10 Jul - 65 shares.  Starmer's legacy will be one of a tyrant who did incredible
harm to the proliferation of free speech in this nation, but we fear there is worse
to come if globalists continue to occupy 10 Downing Street

Sat 11 Jul - 97 shares

Sat 11 Jul - 35 shares

Sat 11 Jul - 92 shares.  The freak is reportedly now a member of Zack Polanski's
crazy gang.  No great surprise there.

Sat 11 Jul - 114 shares

Sun 12 Jul - 19 shares.  The media has gone to great lengths to report that both
of the arrests in relation to Ann Widdecombe's murder were
'white British nationals'

Karl continued with his Diversity Is Strength theme in last week's Facebook Stories, with a new Burnham design likely to be debuted next week.

You can help us create more content by purchasing a couple of metaphorical pints here or by donating via PayPal.  This helps fund our campaign and serves as a vital morale booster.  We can't do this without your support.

Thank you.

BOATWATCH #67

There wasn't a great deal of activity as the hot summer days returned, but there was a new record smashed.  On Friday three boats were collected in the Channel, one of which contained 128 colonists, a record number of migrants crammed into one vessel.  This surpassed the previous record of 125, which was recorded in September 2025.

Crossings remain significantly down against the same period for 2025, but they are still on course to deliver around 30,000 colonists on current trending.  This would present a major decrease of more than 10,000 from 2025 and more than 6,000 from 2024.  However, this would still be a hard sell for the government to present to a public that can clearly see the cumulative effects of years of mass uncontrolled migration in their own communities.  It is not merely enough that the numbers arriving come down, the numbers going in the opposite direction need to increase exponentially if we are to survive as a nation and a people.

Total = 555 (up 414 from previous week)

R.I.P. ANN WIDDECOMBE

Political heavyweight Ann Widdecombe sadly passed away on Thursday at the age of 78, with disturbing news reaching us this afternoon that a man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

The Somerset native enjoyed a long political career that began in 1974 as a personal assistant to Tory MP Michael Ancram.  After a brief stint as a district councillor in Surrey, she stood as an unsuccessful parliamentary candidate in the 1979 and 1983 general elections, before winning the Maidstone constituency at the 1987 general elections.  She represented that seat for the next 23 years, up until her 'retirement' from politics in 2010, having served in the Major government and in the shadow cabinet of William Hague.

She did not serve in the shadow cabinet of Michael Howard, which is perhaps understandable as she was responsible for the quote that led to caricatures of him as sinister and vampiric.  In 1997 she famously said of Howard: "There is something of the night about him".

She remained a member of the Conservative party until 2019, when - having become disillusioned with the Brexit impasse - she joined the Brexit Party and was elected to the European Parliement in 2019.  She later became Reform UK's spokesperson on immigration and justice.

A fiercely forthright conservative voice and a devout Christian, the loss of Ann Widdecombe is a loss to the world of politics.  God bless her.

MAN OF THE PEOPLE?

Richey recorded a video last week in which he discussed all things Andy Burnham, but primarily his faux working class persona.  The man has never had a proper job in his life!

Watch below or on YouTube (16 minute watch)

Please help fund our campaign to do more (and improve Richey's sound quality when he's doing walking videos in windy conditions!)

Buy us a coffee (a pint) each here

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 09.07.26

14 vacant seats were up for grabs on Thursday, with a further two having been decided earlier this week on the somewhat unorthodox polling day of Tuesday.  The contests were once again fairly spread out across the country, with four in south Wales, three in north Wales, three in London and one each in Scotland, the north east, Midlands and East Anglia.

It was also a variety of defences and free-for-alls.  The Greens were defending all three London vacancies, on account of poor candidate vetting which ended up costing them two of the three.  The Lib Dems and Plaid Cymru were also defending three each, Labour two, Reform one and there were also two free-for-alls triggered by outgoing independents.

It was a mixed week for Labour as lost a seat, held one and gained one.  Their vote share was down in nine of the seats the party contested, against an increase in three.  This is still an improvement on much of the Starmer era, during which they struggled to hold seats and saw vote shares routinely collapsing  by more than 20 percentage points. They finished bottom of the pile in two seats, while the Greens collected the wooden spoon in three.  The Greens appear to have slumped back down to where they were before their media-sponsored boom and are once again vying for fourth place in national polls with the Lib Dems.

Regent's Park, Camden London Borough Council

Lab: 574 (32.4%) -0.4%

Grn: 482 (27.2%) -11.1%

Ind: 407 (22.9%) New

Con: 137 (7.7%) -1.5%

Ref: 123 (6.9%) -5.0%

LDm: 51 (2.9%) -3.5%

Lab GAIN from Grn

The first of three London by-elections triggered in humiliating fashion by the Greens.  In this seat they fielded an ineligible winning candidate on May 7, who was unable to take up his new council role as he was already employed by the council as a secondary school teacher.  This is the second by-election the party have caused in this way, having selected a primary school teacher who won in Hackney, also on May 7.  They narrowly held the resulting by-election last month.  While much attention in previous years has been given (quite rightly) to the poor vetting of Reform candidates, not so much attention has been drawn to the shoddy vetting of Zack's crazy gang.  The National Housing Party, who fought this ward in May, dropped out for the by-election.  Only three of the six candidates had Western European names and the winning candidate was Nanouche Umeadi for Labour.

Karl - Grn HOLD ✘

Rich - Lab GAIN ✔

Splott, Cardiff Council

Lab: 765 (40.3%) +6.3%

Grn: 678 (35.7%) +18.4%

Ref: 286 (15.1%) +2.1%

LDm: 114 (6.0%) -8.0%

Con: 54 (2.8%) n/c

Lab HOLD

Triggered by the election of the incumbent to the Senedd on May 7, one of just nine Labour MSs elected across the whole of Wales.  He had been Cardiff council leader for nine years, but is still undoubtedly most famous for his comments about people flying the Cross of St George - who he described as 'simpletons', 'casual racists' and advised friends to throw Tipp-Ex on cars that displayed the flag.  Just typical of the university-educated bourgeois snobs that dominate the modern Labour party.  The previous election here was a by-election in December 2024, when Labour's majority was slashed by almost 1,200 votes.  Plaid Cymru and Propel did not stand candidates this time, and the absence of the former appears to have benefited Labour.  Labour increased their vote share, but the Greens surged into second place to keep Labour's majority in check.

Karl - Grn GAIN ✘

Rich - Lab HOLD ✔

Argoed & New Brighton, Flintshire County Council

LDm: 614 (39.8%) +3.8%

Ref: 490 (31.7%) New

Pld: 191 (12.4%) -2.3%

Con: 113 (7.3%) New

Lab: 113 (7.3%) -17.2%

Grn: 23 (1.5%) -8.8%

LDm HOLD

The death of the 76-year-old incumbent triggered this contest.  The Lib Dems won both seats here back in 2022, with Labour a fairly distant second.  Labour crashed to fifth on this occasion, with only the Greens preventing them from collecting the wooden spoon.  It was an impressive new entry by Reform who replaced Labour in the runner up position.  An independent candidate picked up 341 votes in 2022, but did not stand this time.

Karl - LDm HOLD ✔

Rich - LDm HOLD ✔

Connah's Quay Central, Flintshire County Council

Ref: 256 (48.1%) New

Lab: 101 (19.0%) -15.1%

Pld: 71 (13.3%) New

Ind: 59 (11.1%) New

Con: 21 (3.9%) New

Ind: 13 (2.1%) New

Grn: 11 (2.4%) New

Ref GAIN from Ind

The resignation of the controversial incumbent led to this vacancy.  An ex-Labour councillor, he quit the party in 2019 after an internal row, but went on to be re-elected in 2022 as an independent.  In 2024 he was suspended by the council for four months after 'sending sexual messages to a vulnerable resident'.  He was later readmitted, but has now retired due to ill health.  Back in 2022 only Labour and independents stood here, but we had a much more crowded ballot paper this time, topped by Reform in an impressive gain at the first time of asking.

Karl - Ind GAIN ✘

Rich - Ref GAIN ✔

High Fell, Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council

Ref: 564 (40.1%) -4.9%

Lab: 559 (39.7%) +11.2%

LDm: 98 (7.0%) -2.2%

Con: 79 (5.6%) New

Grn: 71 (5.0%) -8.7%

TUS: 36 (2.6%) -1.0%

Ref HOLD

Reform swept to power in Gateshead on May 7, a council that Labour had controlled for the entirety of its 52 year existence.  In High Fell the party won all three seats, but just 11 days later the second placed candidate resigned unexpectedly - citing 'work commitments'.  The new Reform council pledged to mitigate the roughly £20,000 cost of the resulting by-election by having one of its cabinet members forgo their council-funded allowance.  Honourable, but a bit harsh if you're the member earmarked for that loss!  Reform took a bit of a hit regardless, but clung on by the slender margin of just five votes.

Karl - Lab GAIN ✘

Rich - Ref HOLD ✔

Llanrug, Cyngor Gwynedd Council

Ind: 394 (57.4%) New

Pld: 262 (38.2%) -61.8%

Ref: 17 (2.5%) New

Con: 6 (0.9%) New

Grn: 4 (0.6%) New

LDm: 3 (0.4%) New

Ind GAIN from Pld

Triggered by the election of the Plaid incumbent to the Senedd on May 7.  She was re-elected unopposed to this ward in 2022, which is situated in one of the most predominantly Welsh-speaking communities in the country.  Voters certainly had a choice this time around, but it was an independent who triumphed in a shock gain from the fake nationalists.

Karl - Pld HOLD ✘

Rich - Pld HOLD ✘

Clapham Park, Lambeth London Borough Council

Grn: 842 (43.8%) +11.6%

Lab: 799 (41.5%) +5.7%

LDm: 108 (5.6%) -4.5%

Con: 85 (4.4%) -4.2%

Ref: 71 (3.7%) -2.9%

CPA: 12 (0.6%) New

Soc: 6 (0.3%) New

Grn HOLD

Another London Green shitshow.  With all three seats up for grabs on May 7, the top two spots went to Labour candidates, while the third went to a Green candidate who resigned just 11 days later.  She cited 'ill health' that would not allow her to 'do the job justice'.  She clearly did not expect to win and it has cost local taxpayers tens of thousands to replace her.  The SDP contested this seat in May, but are absent this time, passing their wooden spoon to one of the newcomers.  The race to avoid last place was a straight fight between the right-wing Christian Peoples Alliance and the far left Socialist Party of Great Britain.  The Marxists won't be happy with the outcome, with the CPA garnering twice their vote - 12 in all!  The Greens increased their vote share, despite triggering a contest that should have been avoided.

Karl - Lab GAIN ✘

Rich - Lab GAIN ✘

Streatham St Leonard's, Lambeth London Borough Council

LDm: 1,161 (41.7%) +26.4%

Grn: 972 (35.0%) -12.5%

Lab: 421 (15.1%) -7.8%

Con: 119 (4.3%) -3.1%

Ref: 71 (2.6%) -4.2%

CPA: 37 (1.3%) New

LDm GAIN from Grn

Probably the most serious Green vetting disaster yet, with two candidates arrested during the local election campaign on suspicion of 'stirring up racial hatred'.  The party suspended one of its candidates in this ward, but it was too late to take her off the ballot paper and she ended up picking up the third council seat in a Green clean sweep.  This was despite Labour having desperately drawn attention to the anti-Semitic social media posts that led to her arrest.  She quickly vacated her seat following the election, creating another costly embarrassment for the Greens in London.  They chose not to select a Muslim candidate for the by-election, but it was a lost cause as the Lib Dems surged from third to first.

Karl - Lab GAIN ✘

Rich - Grn HOLD ✘

Trebanos, Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council

Pld: 223 (51.1%) -18.3%

Ref: 88 (20.2%) New

LDm: 77 (17.7%) New

Lab: 37 (8.5%) -22.1%

Con: 7 (1.6%) New

Grn: 4 (0.9%) New

Pld HOLD

Triggered by the election of the Plaid incumbent to the Senedd on May 7.  She was re-elected to this ward in the 2022 local elections, in a straight head-to-head with Labour.  That election saw Labour lose control of the council for the first time ever, as it slipped into no overall control.  It is currently run by a minority coalition of Plaid and independents.  This by-election presented a routine hold for Plaid, despite a plummeting vote share.  Yet another wooden spoon for Zack's crazy gang - four votes!

Karl - Pld HOLD ✔

Rich - Pld HOLD ✔

Suffield Park, North Norfolk Districk Council

LDm: 485 (65.4%) +4.3%

Ref: 136 (18.3%) New

Con: 88 (11.9%) -14.1%

Grn: 20 (2.7%) -2.9%

Lab: 13 (1.8%) -5.6%

LDm HOLD

The Lib Dem incumbent recently moved to Poland, triggering this by-election.  The seaside resort of Cromer that hosted this contest has become fairly solid ground for the Lib Dems and it was a simple hold for them.  They held this seat in 2023 with more than double the vote of the second placed Conservatives, but it was Reform who finished runners-up on this occasion.  

Karl - LDm HOLD ✔

Rich - LDm HOLD ✔

Pembroke Dock Market, Pembrokeshire County Council

Con: 143 (36.0%) New

Ind: 100 (25.2%) New

Pld: 79 (19.9%) New

Ref: 48 (12.1%) New

Ind: 11 (2.8%) New

LDm: 9 (2.3%) New

Ind: 7 (1.8%) New

Con GAIN from Ind

This free-for-all was triggered by the death of the longstanding 78-year-old incumbent.  He was re-elected unopposed in 2022, but it was a busy ballot to succeed him.  They like their independents in these parts, with the council having been governed by independents for the entirety of its 30 year existence.  However, this contest went to the Conservatives, despite the presence of no less than three independents.  One of the independents is reportedly affiliated to Restore Britain, but did not stand under that banner, which is probably just as well considering he has a criminal record and was previously disqualified from public office.  He received 11 votes.

Karl - Ind GAIN ✘

Rich - Ref GAIN ✘

Larkhall, South Lanarkshire Council

(first preference votes)

Ref: 1,150 (35.2%) New

SNP: 975 (29.9%) +1.0%

Lab: 799 (24.5%) -8.5%

Con: 342 (10.5%) -14.0%

Ref GAIN from Lab (elected at stage 4)

Triggered by the death of the Labour incumbent.  She was narrowly re-elected to this ward in 2022, collecting the fourth available council seat after no less than nine rounds of the single transferable vote system.  Her Labour colleague topped the poll on first preferences, while the other two seats went to the Conservatives and SNP.  Prior to this election, Labour were evenly split with the SNP in terms of council representation at 25 seats apiece, but it's Labour that lead the minority administration alongside a handful of Lib Dems and independents.  There were no Libertarian or UKIP candidates this time and, embarrassingly, the Labour candidate resorted to a crowdfunding site to fund his campaign.  A wee bit of party support would have probably had only a negligable bearing on his dreadful third place.  A stunning gain for Reform, which is sure to wind up the left-wing establishment north of the border.

Karl - Lab HOLD ✘

Rich - Con GAIN ✘

Kinwarton, Stratford-upon-Avon District Council

Con: 507 (36.4%) +2.9%

LDm: 500 (35.9%) -20.8%

Ref: 231 (16.6%) New

Grn: 128 (9.2%) +6.0%

Lab: 28 (2.0%) -4.7%

Con GAIN from LDm

Another globetrotting Lib Dem was responsible for this vacancy, having relocated to Australia.  The Lib Dems won here by a reasonable margin in 2023, following boundary changes.  The Conservatives finished second on that occasion, but appeared to have been aided by the injection of a Reform candidate this time.  A significant and highly unusual swing from the Lib Dems to Reform allowed the Tories to take first place by the slender margin of seven votes.

Karl - Ref GAIN ✘

Rich - LDm HOLD ✘

Baruc, Vale of Glamorgan Council

Pld: 856 (47.7%) +11.2%

Ref: 429 (23.9%) New

Con: 219 (12.2%) -8.2%

Lab: 179 (10.0%) -15.1%

Grn: 90 (5.0%) -13.1%

LDm: 23 (1.3%) New

Pld HOLD

Another vacancy arising from the incumbent's election to the Senedd on May 7.  Despite being situated in the predominantly English-speaking town of Barry, this ward routinely returns Plaid councillors and the party led second-placed Labour in 2022 by a decent margin.  Plaid managed to hold with an increased majority - almost twice the votes of second placed Reform - while Labour crashed to fourth, indicative of their overall decline across Wales.

Karl - Pld HOLD ✔

Rich - Pld HOLD ✔

The following contests were held earlier this week, on Tuesday, both stemming from the death of the same councillor.

Haslemere, Surrey County Council

LDm: 1,181 (47.8%) -5.4%

Con: 797 (32.3%) -10.7%

Grn: 280 (11.3%) New

Ref: 213 (8.6%) New

LDm HOLD

Triggered by the sudden death of the incumbent, aged 78.  The Lib Dem councillor had a long career in local government, including spells as mayor of the town of Haslemere and the borough of Waverley.  He also represented the ward of Haslemere West on Waverley Council, triggering an additional by-election (see below).  There hasn't been an election here since 2021, because the county council is being abolished next year and split into two entities.  Labour finished a distant last here in 2021 and did not bother to contest this time.  The Lib Dem and Tory vote share took a hit with new entries from the Greens and Reform.

Karl - Con GAIN ✘

Rich - LDm HOLD ✔

Haslemere West, Waverley Borough Council

LDm: 551 (58.6%) -5.4%

Grn: 164 (17.4%) New

Con: 141 (15.0%) -7.0%

Ref: 84 (8.9%) New

LDm HOLD

Triggered by the death of the incumbent, who also represented Haslemere on Surrey County Council (see above).  Labour finished last here in 2023 and didn't contest this time.  Again, there was a swing to the incoming Greens and Reform from both the Lib Dems and Tories, but not enough to dramatically alter the outcome.

Karl - LDm HOLD ✔

Rich - LDm HOLD ✔

Karl led Richey by two points going into week 8 of their head to head, which closed to one point following Tuesday's double bill.  Their accuracy rate on Thursday wasn't great, but Richey stunned Karl by correctly predicting twice as many results as his opponent.  Richey now leads Karl for the first time, while their combined accuracy rate remains above the 50 per cent mark.

CARNS OUT, HAIL THE KING

The dwindling chances of a leadership contest to replace Keir Starmer appear to have slumped to zero, as the last known contender has stepped aside and backed Burnham.  The little known Alistair Carns was genuinely considering a punt, but was clearly struggling to garner the nominations required to stand.  He is understood to have spoke with Burnham on Tuesday, possibly angling for a Cabinet position in return for backing out of a challenge that in all fairness was unlikely to happen.

Carns wrote on X:

"I'd hoped a leadership contest would give us the opportunity for a proper debate.  But months of internal Labour politics isn't what the country needs right now.  We've got to get on with the job.

Andy Burnham's earned this and he's got my full backing.

Our job now as a Labour team is to help him succeed, because the country needs him to."

He ended his post with the salute emoji, which could be seen as a bending of the knee to his new commander, in line with his military background.

Carns also posted an edited clip from one of his media interviews on Wednesday, confirming his decision and singing the praises of Burnham (watch below).

He may have resigned from Starmer's regime, but it's a good bet Carns will be reappearing on the front benches when the Commons resumes after summer recess.  This one's a climber.  We can only hope that the vehicle he has chosen to enact his political ambitions will be in ruins by the time he finally seizes the opportunity to try and lead it.

TOON TUESDAY #110

It's all about the handover of power this week, as Burnham's coronation draws closer.  Starmer's defence review u-turn is widely seen as an unwelcome farewell gift to his successor, creating a budget headache upon arrival.  There's a ghost from New Labour past, as David Miliband makes an appearance.  Rumours are growing that the older Miliband could be returning from his US-based mass migration efforts to take up a position in Burnham's Cabinet.  Of couse he would have to re-enter the Commons, with one unnamed MP quoted in The Independent as saying he would be prepared to vacate his seat to make way for Miliband.  It all sounds rather familiar doesn't it?

Miliband - like Burnham - is a sponsored 'Young Global Leader' of the World Economic Forum.  We look set to be governed by more of the same, which is not necessarily a bad thing.  They will continue along the same totalitarian path that Starmer set us on and that will breed resentment.

Speaking of resentment, perhaps Patrick Blower should have a quiet word in Graeme Bandeira's ear about his Coronation Street cartoon, that is eerily similar to one of Blower's that was published in The Telegraph the previous week...

Patrick Blower for The Daily Telegraph

Ella Baron for The Guardian

Patrick Blower for The Daily Telegraph

Christian Adams for The Daily Telegraph

Ben Jennings for The Guardian

Morten Morland for The Times

Chris Riddell for The Observer

Christian Adams for The Daily Telegraph

Morten Morland for The Times

Christian Adams for The Sunday Telegraph

Graeme Bandeira for The Northern Agenda

Morten Morland has produced an intricate montage of political mayhem, albeit at odds with the lovely weather we've been having recently.  His wintry piece is available as a jigsaw puzzle here.  President Trump is one of the central characters, with Putin whispering in his ear as Zelenskyy controls a drone firing a snowball in his opponent's direction.  Don Jnr, Musk, Vance, Rubio, Hegseth, Carney, Macron, Merz, Xi, Modi, Kim Jong Un, Netanyahu and the Iranian Mullahs are all in there, while the Pope watches on.  There are plenty of British figures too.  The King watches the chaos ensue, as a teary Rachel Reeves prepares to stab Camilla in the back with a sharp stake.  Farage, Lowe, Mandelson, Jenrick, Badenoch, Burnham, Lammy, Mahmood, Miliband, McSweeney and Starmer are all there, while Rayner takes shelter in one of her multiple homes.  There's even some rough and tumble as Corbyn and Sultana fight it out over their shitshow communist party!

MEME MONDAY #90

Another fairly quiet week as we await the coronation of Burnham.  Distribution was significantly down, which could be due to any number of factors - summer, football, disillusion, the algorithm as set by left-wing technocrats in Dublin and so on.

Mon 29 Jun - 134 shares

Tue 30 Jun - 68 shares

Tue 30 Jun - 49 shares

Thu 2 Jul - 46 shares

Thu 2 Jul - 55 shares

Fri 3 Jul - 229 shares

Sat 4 Jul - 33 shares

Sun 5 Jul - 3 shares

Sun 5 Jul - 41 shares

Karl didn't produce any Facebook Stories the previous week, but he more than made up for it last week with a record eight editions - six of which are part of his ongoing 'Diversity Is Strength' series.  He also added a new Welsh design, featuring Comrade ap Iorwerth, who is very much a subscriber to the cultural Marxist doctrine.  How exactly the Boat People are going to strengthen the Welsh language and Welsh culture is anyone's guess!

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